Page 39 of Spirit Trials (The Spirit Kingdoms #1)

“I made plenty; figured you girls would all be hungry,” Hector says with a grunt.

“Thanks, Hector. You’re the best,” I say with a huge smile as I grab a plate.

“What about me? I thought I was the best,” Lox says.

Rysden steps out from the shadows. “A name, Farrah.” Kinsley jumps at the sound of his voice, but he doesn’t surprise me.

Somehow, I already knew he was in the room; it’s like I have a sixth sense when he’s around.

I ignore him and make myself a huge bowl of rice and meat and veggies that have been heavily seasoned and soaked in broth.

I barely refrain from taking my first bite before I get to the table.

After I take my first bite, I shake my head. “This is so good, Hector.”

“You’re just starving,” he grumbles in response to my compliment.

“Well, yes, I am; but this is seriously really good.”

He hands me a chunk of hard brown bread. “To soak up the juices,” he adds.

I put the bread in my bowl to soften and take another bite. Rysden sits down next to me. “A name.” His voice is closer than I’m ready for, and his low tone sends a shiver through me.

“What name?” Kinsley asks, her eyes darting back and forth between the two of us.

Rysden doesn’t turn away from me. I keep eating, like him staring daggers into the side of my head doesn’t bother me in the least. Spoiler alert; it does.

Finally, he turns his dark gaze to the other side of the table, and I can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

“The name of the person who tried to strangle her,” he says in a voice that promises retribution in a dark fashion.

“Oh, that’s easy,” Harper says.

“Don’t tell h—,” I don’t get the words out in time.

“It was Ezra,” Harper tells him after taking another bite.

“Well, he’s dead,” Lox says conversationally.

Rysden stands up from the table. I’m not sure what comes over me, but I put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

When his dark eyes meet mine, I almost falter; but I swallow and take a steadying breath.

“Let it go. Stay and eat with us instead.” He continues to stare at me, and I refuse to look away and lose this battle of wills.

Eventually, he nods. I watch as he walks over to the large pot and fills a bowl and then comes back and takes the seat next to me.

I watch all this in stunned silence because he listened to me.

I notice there’s only one chunk of bread left, so I quickly grab it and stuff it in his soup bowl so the juices can soften it.

Of course, that means there’s no more bread.

That thought makes me more sad than it has any right to.

I glance over at Rysden’s bread and wonder if I should have split it in half.

Without looking at me, Rysden puts the bread back in my bowl.

Then he leans forward and asks Kinsley and Harper, “What’s it like to live banished?

” I turn to him and smile; I’m so proud of him.

He turns and catches my eye for just a moment, and a knowing seems to pass between us.

Then he does something that shocks me. He reaches over and squeezes my knee gently.

Only, he doesn’t take his hand away; he leaves it there for another minute or two.

After Kinsley and Harper recover from their shock, they begin to tell him what life is like outside the walls of the city.

It’s not a pretty picture. Rysden asks a few questions, but mostly he lets them just talk.

Their voices start to fade, and I sag in my chair.

Apparently, I’m still tired, even after several hours of sleep last night, or this morning, I guess.

I stand up and push my chair back. Harper stops midsentence.

“Don’t worry about me,” I tell her, waving her off.

“Keep going; you never know when you’re going to have the audience of the Prince again.

” Rysden gives me a look. I grin and move over closer to the huge fireplace and snag one of the thick furs from the couch and throw it on the floor before wrapping another fur around me and lying right down on the floor.

I stare at the beautiful stone fireplace and let the heat soak into my cold, weary body.

I thought I would fall asleep right away, but staring into the flames makes me think of the countless times I did this back home.

Guilt settles in as I think about how I’ve settled in here when my mother and brother and village are probably suffering.

My only hope is that they’ve been able to rebuild and find some way to move forward.

Anger at the horrid creatures that destroyed my village and nearly the entire forest yesterday and who knows how many lives fills me.

Sadness settles in my chest; I wonder how many we lost to the fire.

A restlessness fills me, and I sit up and wrap my arms around my knees.

I want to destroy all Guivres, but right now, that can’t be my focus.

Right now, I have to focus on surviving the third trial tomorrow.

My stomach tightens. Part of me thinks I should be training for it; the other part of me feels like I should get as much sleep as possible before it starts.

I have no idea what this third trial is, but I have a feeling It's going to be a doozy.

There’s a loud knock at the front door. I turn and watch as Rysden stands from the table and strides towards the door with Hector at his heels.

Curious, I wrap the fur around me and follow them.

When Rysden opens the door, there are two palace guards standing there.

I recognize them from their maroon uniforms. “The king requests your assistance.”

“Where?” Rysden asks in a clipped voice.

“Northeast. Fifteen kiliks.”

Rysden nods, like this is nothing new. He closes the door without another word and turns back around. He doesn’t act surprised to see me standing there. “I’m leaving,” he says without fanfare. “I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

I frown. “What was that all about?”

“I have to go deal with something. I don’t know when I’ll get back.”

“So, this is what they do? They come get you every time they need something dealt with? They use the big, bad prince with all his evilness to take care of threats to the kingdom?” I don’t know this for sure, but it’s what I’ve pieced together. And I’m pretty sure that I’m not that far off.

“Wow, she nailed that,” Lox says from behind me, startling me. Rysden scowls at Lox. “What? I didn’t say anything to her.”

“Nobody had to tell me anything; it’s really not that hard to figure out,” I argue with my head held high.

Rysden walks over and stops in front of me. “I don’t know when I’ll get back. I’m not sure if I’ll see you before the trial. Will you—”

“Rysden, no, we are not having this conversation again. I’m entering the third trial, and you can’t stand in my way. And you can’t send Shade either.” He smirks down at me, and I cock my head to the side. “Wasn’t that what you were going to say?”

“No.”

“Oh.” I mime closing my lips and point to him.

“I was going to say be careful and come back in one piece after this trial.”

“Oh.” Apparently, that’s all I’m capable of saying around him.

He gives me a half smile. “Yeah, oh.” His smile fades. “I know you can survive this trial and even win the entire thing. You’re strong enough, but it will be a mental battle.” His gaze is so earnest and conflicted; I get the feeling he’s at war with himself.

“I’ll be fine, Rysden.”

“I know you will. You’re strong, Farrah. I’ll see you on the other side of this trial when you win.”

His confidence in me is more than the greatest encouragement.

I feel ready to finish this thing. “I’ll be back.

” And then a thought hits me. “And then we need to discuss me going home.” He doesn’t change expressions, but I catch the clenched jaw and the muscle tick. “I have to, Rysden,” I say softly.

He looks over my shoulder. “Ready?”

Lox walks past me and opens the front door, and Rysden follows him. Just before he steps out, he turns back to me. “We’ll have that talk.”

Something loosens in my chest. “Thanks, Rysden,” I say softly. He leaves a minute later, and I make my way back to the main room.

“Where’s your darker half?” Harper asks.

I shake my head and don’t even bother to answer her. “I’m going to try to go to bed now, so I can get as much sleep as possible before tomorrow. You two probably should as well.”

“Yes, Mom,” Harper responds.

I shake my head. “Night.” I leave the room and head to the stairs. Jamik falls into step beside me.

“Are you healed enough for tomorrow?” he asks quietly.

“I’ll be fine, thanks for asking. I’m ready for whatever they throw at us.”

“Good.”

A thought hits me. “Jamik, do you have a corporal wolf like Rysden?”

“No. I’ll have a spirit wolf, hopefully.”

“You will. I have no doubt.” I pause, thinking. “So, it’s just Rysden that has to deal with everybody thinking he’s evil?”

“Not everybody thinks he’s evil,” he says defensively.

“Of course not. I know he’s not evil. I just meant the other crazies in this kingdom.”

“Yeah, well, Rysden hasn’t exactly helped his image.”

I turn to look at him. “How so?”

Jamik shrugs. “You know how he is. He lets people believe what they will about him, and he is too quick to project the image of the evil prince.”

“Yeah, I’ve kind of caught that about him. Why is that?” I ask.

“To protect his mom.”

We’re at the top of the steps now. “Not your mom?” I question.

“We don’t have the same mom.”

He doesn’t offer anymore, and I don’t push him for anything else. “I don’t understand, though. How does Rysden being feared or hated in the public eye protect his mom?”

“Because my son is very hard-headed and does what he wants to do no matter what anybody says.”

I whirl around at the voice and peer over the edge and stare down at the dark-haired woman standing in the lobby pulling off long dark gloves.

I look at Jamik, but he’s already halfway down the hallway.

I swallow; I guess I’m on my own. I head back down the stairs.

When I’m on the ground floor, I realize she’s much taller than I originally realized.

She's also the most regal woman I’ve ever met.

If I didn’t know she was a queen, I would guess that.

I look around for Hector, but he’s nowhere to be seen.

I guess it’s just me. She doesn’t wait for me as she walks under the huge stone archway and into the great room.

I quickly follow her. She’s obviously been here many times because she walks right over to the shelf where the mugs are and takes one down.

She sets about heating hot water, and I stand off to the side, wondering if I should say something.

When she’s finished her task and is waiting for the water to heat, she crosses her arms and pins her gaze on me.

It's so much like Rysden that I can’t help but smile.

“So, you’re the girl that has my son all tied up.”

I return her steady gaze. “And you’re the queen who’s married to an awful king.” I don’t drop my gaze.

She stares at me a long moment before her lips curve into a wry smile. “I think I’m going to like you.”